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Top 5 FAQs for New APRNs

Posted about 3 years ago

 

So, you’ve graduated with your MSN or DNP , passed your nursing certification, and are ready to get to work as an APRN! Now what? Navigating the system can be tricky for new nurses and, if all the steps of preparation are not followed closely, it can result in your career being delayed!

Luckily, ISAPN is here to help! Read on for questions frequently asked by new APRNs and our response to them!

    

1. I have graduated. Now what?

First, congratulations on graduating! This is an important step to jumpstarting your nursing career.

The following steps should be followed once you graduate:

  • You will need to apply for certification. After you take the exam, you will have to wait for the official results. Once those are received, and you have your official certification, you can begin your state BON application. In Illinois, this is done online.
  • Another Illinois requirement is that you will have to have a written collaborative agreement with a physician for the first 4000 hours of practice, unless you are privileged to practice in a hospital, hospital affiliate, or ambulatory surgical treatment center. Further information on this topic can be found in 65-35 of the Nurse Practice Act and in the Administrative Code Rules.
  • If your WCA documents that you have been delegated prescriptive authority by your collaborator to prescribe Schedule II-V medications, you will need to apply for a mid-level controlled substance license. In Illinois, this process will be transitioning to an online form in the near future.
  • After obtaining your Controlled Substance License, you must apply for your DEA number.DEA registration can be done here. The fee is $731 and renewal must be done every three years.
  • Lastly, you will need to register with the Prescription Monitoring Program and obtain NPI registration.

  

2. I have passed my certification. Where do I find the license form?

    The application is an online process.

    Instructions found in the online form include:

    • Before completing this application for licensure, read the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Application Checklist.
    • A current Illinois Registered Nurse (RN) license is required for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Licensure.
    • Disclosure of your U.S. Social Security Number (SSN), if you have one, is mandatory, in accordance with 5 Illinois Compiled Statutes 100/10-65 to obtain a license. If you do not have a Social Security Number, you must submit the SSN affidavit.
    • You have three (3) years from the date your application is received by the Department to complete the application process. If the process is not completed in three (3) years, your application will be denied and the fee forfeited.
    • APRNs can apply for a Temporary Nursing Permit that will enable you to practice temporarily while your permanent license is pending. A completed endorsement application with all necessary supporting documents and payment of fees is required. Photocopies of all active nursing licenses and/or temporary licenses from other jurisdictions that have been submitted to the Department are required.
    • The Department will be bringing APRN controlled substances licenses online in the coming weeks. Prior to that date, APRN's can obtain an APRN Controlled Substance license application by clicking here.
    • The application fees are $125 for an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) or $25 for a Temporary Nursing Permit - Endorsement.
        

    3. Does the prescriptive authority form have to be filed? And, if so, where?

    Here is the link to the form on the IDFPR site. We also recommend that you review the rules as the instructions form currently on the IDFPR site are out of date.

    According to the rules: “The physician or podiatric physician shall file a notice of delegation of prescriptive authority with the Division and the Prescription Monitoring Program.  (Section 65-40(c) of the Act)  The delegation of authority form shall be submitted to the Division and the Prescription Monitoring Program prior to the issuance of a mid-level controlled substances license.”

    Although it is the responsibility of the collaborating physician to file the form, many APRNs have the form completed by their collaborator and then submit the form on their collaborator’s behalf.

      

    4. How do I know whether or not I have to have a controlled substance license?

    If you are going to be practicing outside of a hospital, hospital affiliate or ambulatory surgical treatment center, and you have been delegated prescriptive authority to prescribe Schedule II thru V controlled substances, then you must apply for a mid-level controlled substance license.

    If you are an APRN providing care in a hospital, hospital affiliate, or ambulatory surgical treatment center, then you are not required to have a controlled substance license.

     

    5. Do I have to have a DEA number?

    It is the state license as a healthcare provider that permits an APRN to prescribe medications. Federal law, however, requires that APRNs obtain a DEA number in order to write prescriptions for medications classified as controlled substances. Without a DEA number, APRNs may not write a prescription for controlled substances.

    Per Illinois statutes, you have to have the Illinois Controlled Substance License before you apply for your DEA number.

    If you are an APRN providing care in a hospital, hospital affiliate, or ambulatory surgical treatment center, you do not need to have a DEA # as you will be ordering medications under the Hospital’s DEA #.  Be sure you are communicating with the credentialing and privileging body at your institution, so you understand their processes.

     

    Ready for a job? ISAPN can help

    If you are looking for an experience tailored to preparing APRNs for getting a new job -- ISAPN is here to help. The ISAPN Virtual Boot Camp will assist you with starting your career. Seasoned practitioners will cover practical skills—from transition support to procedural skills needed for your practice environment—that help you get paid what you’re worth and avoid common mistakes on the job. In addition, our boot camp will help you to be fully prepared for all of your interviews. Sign up at our website today!